Sarah Rhino on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Sarah Rhino. Check out our conversation below.

Sarah, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day consists of getting my four beautiful children off to school then taking or teaching a hot yoga class, walking Chastain Park with a friend or flying a Cirrus SR 20 for currency. I was licensed in June of this year but have over 500 hours of flight time and have been flying for two years.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Sarah Rhino, the Owner & Founder of The Peach Pit Gymnastics, Cheerleading & Dance Studios. The Peach Pit is celebrating 10 years of business in Atlanta and now has 4 studios including, Buckhead, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs & St. Simons Island. We are the obvious choice for gymnastics, cheerleading, dance and ninja in Georgia and train both recreational and competitive gymnasts, cheerleaders and dancers. The Peach Pit is a posh studio that prides itself in maintaining a clean, competitive and strong brand as a leader and trendsetter in the community of gymnastics, cheer and dance.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with the sport of gymnastics has shaped me into the strong leader that I am today along with a strong sense of self confidence. While we often focus on talent, progression and success as an athlete, we forget the intrinsic values that athletics instills in us. Gymnastics, cheerleading and dance has taught me discipline, determination, perseverance, self confidence and resilience. It’s not how hard you fall, it’s how high you bounce. Gymnastics is a sports that you are often told that you need to do better, make minute changes or alterations t your body for big results. When you make one small correction, you are very quickly shown approval for your hard work, then it is on to the next small correction to be made. You learn that it takes time and dedication to gain a new skill and it’s not instant gratification. I’ve also learned unconditional love through sports. My coaches, teammates and parents have loved and hugged me through not only successes but through tears, pain and failures.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Often we are viewed from an Instagram lense, in which each one of us can create our own narrative as to how the general population sees us. However, a narrative is exactly that, a story. What my story looks like is an endurance race, a true marathon that I am still running. The Peach Pit began 10 years ago, but before that I worked in Sports Marketing with a Masters Degree in College & Professional Sports Management. I lost a sibling in a tragic car accident in 2003 and got fired from my job. In the same day, I got passed over for a promotion to a Head Coach at Georgia Tech, my dream job, and came back from that meeting only to be fired from my full time job in Sports Marketing. Holding back tears, I walked out of the office that day defeated. I then found my way to Directing a Gymnastics program and arrogantly laughed out loud at the thought of working in recreational sports. Boy did I learn so many lessons from this career choice. I found my passion blending my love of children, gymnastics and business working 11 years for an amazing company prior to opening my own business in 2015. I have had numerous failures and short comings. Every year, I call it my $20,000 mistake and have cried in my car over staffing or parent conversations or just with empathy on behalf of a struggling athlete or family. My light and energy is positive, bright and airy so I keep the majority of my struggles to myself. Gymnastics taught me to get up right away and try again. There’s no crying on the competition floor or over a fall off bars or beam. I am beyond grateful for family and my fabulous friendships for keeping my head above water and my feet on the beam (pun fully intended).

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A belief or project that I am committed to is changes lives and helping people. My love language is 100% quality time and the time spent with my children, family, staff and athletes is irreplaceable. Gymnastics teaches so many life lessons such as determination, resilience, strength but it is an individual sport and a team sport all the same. This can also be said for dance, which incorporates the expression of feelings and emotions. The entire purpose of the art of dance is to show emotion and evoke emotions from others. Cheerleading showcases strength, balance, talent, teamwork and performance while ninja shows strength, agility, balance and endurance. All of these skill sets are important in relationships as well. I am not in the business of sports, I am in the business of people. People matter and it take a stunt group to toe pitch them to the top of the pyramid (Pun also intended).

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope when I am gone that my children still love me and know how sincerely loved they are. That they see that everything was for them. I am known for experiences and travel, living a curious and bohemian gypsy lifestyle because candidly, I can’t sit still in one place for too long. I love life so much that I want to experience all the world has to offer from food to culture, people and earth’s majestic views. I travel with my children because I work so much that I want to be with them every waking second I can when I’m not making a living. I like sharing experiences with my family and friends and I hope that my children can see how hard I’ve worked to provide a full and happy life for them and shine brightness to all around us. I once experienced an all day yoga retreat in which a total stranger was asked to use one word to describe me. The woman used the word “Magnetic”. No one has ever told me that but I love it because it’s all that I hope to be summed up in one single word. Happiness is contagious and is truly a mindset and a lifestyle, not just a one time feeling. #gochangelives

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.peachpitgym.com
• Instagram: @peachpitgym
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rhino-1abab96/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peachpitgym